Computing devices, especially handheld computing devices, have undergone explosive development in the past two decades. Here, computing devices refer to but are not limited to: desktop computers, laptop computers, and handheld computing devices such as but not limited to smart phones such as iPhones® or Android® phones, computing tablets such as iPad®, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), and other devices that are relatively small and light and are equipped with basic computing and internet connecting capabilities. Computing devices are playing more and more significant roles in people's work, entertainment, and communications.
Most of the computing devices nowadays are equipped with cameras. In many cases, especially for handheld computing devices, there are two cameras, one on the front side of the device—the same side with a general display screen, and the other one on the back side. One fairly widespread usage of the computing devices is video call, or video conference in some instances, during which both video images and audio signals are transmitted and received. Most likely the video images are captured with the front side camera, allowing a user of the device to see the display on the device and be visible at the same time. Video calls enable the callers to hear and see the other person at the same time. Combined with the mobile capacity of the handheld computing devices, video calls strongly facilitate communication and interaction between the parties.
One drawback of the video call conducted on a computing device, however, is the unpredictable and often far-from-ideal illumination, which renders the video call less attractive or even impossible to proceed. This problem is especially acute for the handheld computing devices. Due to their mobility, video calls conducted with handheld computing devices may be carried out in some locations never been conceived previously. Instead of a nicely illuminated conference room, a user of a handheld computing device may find himself/herself in a car, in a dark room, or in some places with weak or impossible-to-adjust light, making it impossible to show the user's image properly. The current invention addresses this problem by providing an illumination device that may be attached to a computing device and enable a user to have manageable light for his/her video call or video conference. In addition, the illumination device introduced by the current invention may have numerous additional applications that would provide significant convenience and greatly improve the user experience of the computing device.